Hepatic damage following profound hypothermia and extracorporeal circulation in man.

Much investigation has been carried out during the past few years into the changes in serum enzyme levels following hypothermia for cardiac surgery. Alterations in serum enzyme levels have been correlated with the type of operation, the anaesthetic, the rate of perfusion, and the age and weight of the patient, but little attempt has been made to associate these changes with damage to specific tissues (Schlief and Kamm, 1957; Snyder,